Towers' idea: To build a late-inning trio similar to the one that he constructed with the Padres — Luke Gregerson, Mike Adams and Heath Bell.

The D-Backs already have reduced their bullpen ERA from a major-league worst 5.74 last season to 3.26 this season, a figure that ranks eighth in the National League.

Hernandez, acquired from the Orioles in the Mark Reynolds trade, been a major part of the turnaround. But the D-Backs would like to find an option superior to righties Esmerling Vasquez and Aaron Heilman in the seventh inning.

The team is set with righties Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson at the top of their rotation. Righty Josh Collmenter has been a revelation, lefty Zach Duke shut out the Astros for seven innings in his 2011 debut and lefty Joe Saunders has a 3.96 ERA in his last six starts. Double A righty Jarrod Parker, meanwhile, could be an option in the second half.

The way the D-Backs see it, their rotation should be good enough to compete. Their offense, third in the NL in runs per game, will provide enough leads.

The Minnesota Twins have chosen Scott Baker over Kevin Slowey as their No. 5 starter, and sources say they are willing to trade Slowey for a late-inning reliever.

But even with Slowey’s success last season — 13-6 with a 4.45 ERA — the Twins don’t appear to have an abundance of trade options.

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The ideal trade partner would (a) need a right-handed starter and (b) be able to deal from a surplus of major league-caliber relievers. Right now, few (if any) teams match that description.

Two clubs that are looking for a starting pitcher — the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners — are also short on relievers.

Teams that could or will be without starters on Opening Day — the Cardinals (Adam Wainwright), Dodgers (Jon Garland), Blue Jays (Brandon Morrow) and White Sox (Jake Peavy) — seem inclined to go with internal options.

Slowey, who has a career 4.41 ERA in the American League, should be an appealing target for National League teams with young rotations. But officials from the Arizona Diamondbacks and Pittsburgh Pirates say they aren’t actively looking for major-league starters via trade.

The Toronto Blue Jays have been mentioned this spring as a possible trade partner for the Twins, but the teams don’t have an easy fit right now. The Blue Jays aren’t in position to part with relievers, with Frank Francisco and Octavio Dotel possibly starting the season on the disabled list.

The Twins are looking to fortify their middle relief after a number of off-season departures, including Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch and Brian Fuentes. Team officials have been impressed by Carlos Gutierrez and Kyle Waldrop in camp this spring, but neither has pitched in the majors.

Slowey became more expendable with the rapid rise of right-hander Kyle Gibson, who was ranked among the top 40 prospects in the game by Baseball America this spring.

When asked this week about the likelihood of using Gibson, 23, in the majors this year, Twins general manager Bill Smith said, “We’ll see how things go. He’s only pitched one year in the minor leagues. He was very successful. He was our minor-league pitcher of the year. He needs to get stretched out. He’s going to start in the minor leagues. When we need help, we try and go get the best guy.”

Right-hander Esmil Rogers also is throwing well, and the Rockies believe that righties John Maine and Greg Reynolds will contribute at some point as well.

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Cook, set to earn $9.25 million this season, began the spring with right shoulder tightness, then suffered a broken right ring finger. He would be difficult to move, but at least the Rockies are in a position in which they do not need to rely on him.

• Talk about a roster crunch. By the end of spring training, the Mariners could bid farewell to five members of their 40-man roster, or 16 percent.

The M’s invited 23 non-roster players to spring training, and at least five stand reasonable chances of making the team — catcher Josh Bard, infielder Adam Kennedy, right-handers Jamey Wright and Chris Ray and one of two outfielders, Ryan Langerhans or Gabe Gross.

The Mariners currently are at the maximum 40. Left-hander Garrett Olson already is on waivers, according to a major-league source.

• Another issue for the M’s: Their bullpen.

“It starts with (Brandon) League,” one scout says. “Try to name the next guy.”

The M’s might need lots of “next guys” if they open with rookie right-hander Michael Pineda and lefty Erik Bedard in their rotation. Neither is likely to work deep into games, at least initially.

• Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers, who spent last season scouting with the Yankees, offers yet another ringing endorsement for the Yanks’ top pitching prospects — and actually likes right-hander Dellin Betances even better than lefty Manny Banuelos.

• New Dodgers first base coach Davey Lopes raves about the work ethic of shortstop prospect Dee Gordon, who is the son of former major-league pitcher Tom Gordon.

Lopes says that Gordon is inquisitive about the game and absorbs information like a sponge.

“His dad taught him right,” Lopes says.

• Finally, check out my video interview with the Dodgers’ Andre Ethier, who tells an amusing story about working out last offseason with the Red Sox’s Dustin Pedroia at a rehabilitation center in Gilbert, Ariz.

“He’s into yelling at other patients,” Ethier says. “It’s a public place where anyone comes in to work out. You had some old retirees to young kids battling stuff. He’s in there mixing it up with all of them, asking them what’s going on, challenging them or trying to outdo them in an exercise.

“It was pretty comical for me, and I bet for those patients in there getting a chance to have some little crazy guy yelling at them every day.”

Good news for Reds fans: Left-hander Dontrelle Willis is in terrific physical and mental condition, according to his agent, Matt Sosnick.

“He looks like an NFL receiver right now,” Sosnick said Thursday. “Very little body fat, totally ripped, eating meticulously. He’s in the best shape of his life. And mentally, he’s in the best place I’ve ever seen him.”

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Sosnick said he was struck by Willis' confidence while spending time with him Wednesday at the pitcher’s home in Arizona.

“There’s no doubt in his mind that he’s going to come back to 100 percent,” Sosnick said. “Based on the day I spent with him, I’d have to agree that he’s going to.

“I’m incredibly optimistic, seeing how happy he is, how content he is. He still has to do it. But everything is in place for him to have a good year.”

Willis signed a minor-league contract with the Reds in November. He will compete for a spot in the bullpen, but could move into the rotation if he pitches well and a need arises.

For Willis, the 2011 season could be pivotal.

He twice went on the disabled list in ’09 due to recurring anxiety disorder. He was traded by the Tigers and released by the Diamondbacks in ‘10.

Over the past three seasons, he is 3-9 with a 6.86 ERA in 30 appearances, 27 starts.

A deal between the Washington Nationals and free agent Adam LaRoche wasn’t in place as of early Monday evening, but one person with knowledge of the talks said confidence is growing on both sides that the first baseman will end up in D.C.

“It’s such a good match,” the source said.

The Nationals covet LaRoche’s left-handed bat as a way to replace Adam Dunn. LaRoche is the best all-around hitter among the available free-agent first basemen, left-handed or otherwise.

Similarly, the Nationals represent the best fit for LaRoche in the National League, where he has played for all but six games of his big-league career.

LaRoche is coming off a season in which he batted .261 with 25 home runs and 100 RBI in 151 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

How close was free-agent first baseman Paul Konerko to signing with the Diamondbacks?

Closer than you might think.

Both Konerko’s agent, Craig Landis, and White Sox officials say the turning point in the negotiations occurred Tuesday night when the team agreed to guarantee Konerko a third year.

Before that, the White Sox had been offering two years and a club option. The Diamondbacks’ first offer was three years, $30 million.

Konerko planned to visit the Diamondbacks next week to escalate negotiations if the White Sox didn't improve their proposal, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions.

“He was very tempted,” Landis said. “(The D-Backs) clearly were his second choice. We had already made up our mind that if things broke down with the White Sox, the next thing we were going to do was get more serious and engage the Diamondbacks to accomplish a three-year deal for Paul in Arizona.”

The White Sox ultimately signed Konerko to a three-year, $37.5 million contract with heavy deferrals in the third year. He'll earn $12 million in both 2011 and ’12, $6.5 million in ’13 and $1 million per year from ’14 to ’20.

The Rangers were Konerko’s third choice – no offer was made, but the two sides discussed the parameters of a deal, Landis said. The Orioles showed interest, but were never a serious contender.

The Orioles are closing in on a deal to obtain Diamondbacks third baseman Mark Reynolds, according to major league sources.

The Diamondbacks, seeking bullpen help for Reynolds, are targeting right-handers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio, the source said.

It's unclear what the addition of Reynolds would mean for Orioles third-base prospect Josh Bell, but some in the organization believe Bell needs more time at Triple-A.

Reynolds, 27, is the only player in major league history to strike out 200 times in a season – and he's done it three straight years. He batted .198/.320/.433 last season, hitting 32 home runs in 499 at-bats.

Another warning sign, at least for the Orioles: Though the samples are relatively small, Reynolds hasn't fared well against American League pitching in his career, or against the AL East.

Last season, against AL opponents, Reynolds batted .182/.280/.409, striking out 26 times in 44 at-bats (59 percent). In his career against the AL, he's batted .203/.297/.396, with 73 strikeouts in 182 at-bats (40 percent).

And in his career against the AL East, he's batted .169/.255/.325, with 38 strikeouts in 83 at-bats (46 percent).

New Arizona general manager Kevin Towers, who pieced together the surprising San Diego Padres before being shoved out by a new ownership group, is looking to work his magic again with a Diamondbacks franchise coming off back-to-back 90-loss seasons for the first time.

Towers had extended talks with the agent for Paul Konerko, hoping to convince the free-agent first baseman to sign with the Diamondbacks instead of returning to the Chicago White Sox. Konerko, a former first-round pick of the Dodgers who spent limited time with Cincinnati, has hit 358 home runs and drove in 1,127 runs in 12 full seasons with the White Sox

Mark Reynolds is available on the trade market, and the Arizona Diamondbacks have spoken with at least three interested teams about the slugging third baseman, according to major league sources.

The Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres have expressed varying levels of interest in Reynolds, the sources said.

The Blue Jays are included on Reynolds' no-trade list, which could make it difficult for Arizona to deal with Toronto.

The extent of San Diego's interest is unclear. Reynolds' power - 32 home runs and 85 RBI, despite a .198 batting average - could be a big asset for the Padres, particularly if they trade Adrian Gonzalez before the end of the 2011 season, as many expect.

Brandon McCarthy used to be one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Even now, he’s only 27 years old.

He spent the 2010 season in the minor leagues and/or on the disabled list, so his salary demands aren’t high. But he has thrown very well in the Dominican Winter League: 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA in four starts.

Combine those factors, and you have a buy-low frenzy for teams in need of rotation help.

McCarthy has been scouted heavily in recent weeks, with the Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Oakland A's and Detroit Tigers among the teams having interest, according to a major-league source.

When healthy, McCarthy was effective this season at Triple-A Oklahoma City in the Texas organization (4-2, 3.36 ERA). But a stress fracture in his right shoulder limited him to just 56 1/3 innings. That is the same injury that hampered his throwing arm in the past.

Clubs may view McCarthy as being similar to another recent Rangers discard: right-hander Rich Harden. With both pitchers, the output can be very good, but the quantity of innings is a major question.

One consideration in McCarthy’s favor: He isn’t scheduled to become a free agent until after the 2012 season, so the team that signs him this winter theoretically will have two years of control.